Spray devices for hair lacquer

ABSTRACT

A squeeze bottle for lacquer includes a spray head having an upper sloping face, stepped to form a vertical shoulder, and a generally horizontally directed air and liquid spray outlet in the shoulder, connected to a dip tube which is free of valves. A combined air and liquid drip inlet recess is located in the sloped face below the horizontal outlet and in the path of drippings therefrom, there being a separate drip tube connecting the same to a one way valve located centrally of the bottle. Pressure closes the valve and suction opens it to draw drippings back into the container.

United States Patent 1 Slavinski [54] SPRAY DEVICES FOR HAIR LACQUER [76] Inventor: Antony Slavinski,5 Avondale Drive,

Holcombe Brook, Bury, England [22] Filed: July 24, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 58,073

[52] US. Cl ..222/1l0, 222/215 [51] Int. Cl. ..B67d 1/16 [58] Field of Search ..222/109, 212, 213, 92, 318, 222/424, 108,478,481, 110, 111,215, 193, 211, 192; 239/124, 327; 137/225, 226

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4 2,554,658 5/1951 Bolsey ..222/211 X 3,409,182 11/1968 McDonnell.... .....222/2l3 X 3,168,221 2/1965 Parker ..222/109 2,096,247 10/1937 Holden ..222/21l X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,028,776 5/1953 France....' ..239/327 1 Apr. 3, 1973 Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-James M. Slattery Attorney-Pearson & Pearson [57] ABSTRACT A squeeze bottle for lacquer includes a spray head having an upper sloping face, stepped to form a vertical shoulder, and a generally horizontally directed air and liquid spray outlet in the shoulder, connected to a dip tube which is free of valves. A combined air and liquid drip inlet recess is located in the sloped face below the horizontal outlet and in the path of drippings therefrom, there being a separate drip tube connecting the same to a one way valve located centrally of the bottle. Pressure closes the valve and suction opens it to draw drippings back into the container.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 3 I973 SHEET 1 OF 2 INVENTOR:

ANTONY S LAVINSK ATTORNE Y6 INVENTOR: ANTONY SLAYINSKI BY W ila M ATTORN EYS PATENTEDAPRB ms SHEET 2 [1F 2 SPRAY DEVICES FOR HAIR LACQUEIR This invention relates to a spray or atomiser for hair lacquer of the kind comprising a resiliently deformable container formed from hair lacquer resistent material provided with a spray producing head through which lacquer from the container is discharged in the form of a spray when the container is squeezed.

One problem which arises with known spray devices or atomisers of this kind is that lacquer collects around; the outletof the spray head after use and continual cleaning is necessary to ensure that the outlet does not become blocked and that messy and unsightly deposits are not formed.

According to the present invention there is provided a spray device or atomiser for hair lacquer comprising, a resiliently deformable container formed from hair lacquer resistant material provided with a spray producing head having an outlet through which lacquer from the container is discharged in the form of a spray when the container is squeezed, the spray head being provided with an air inlet communicating with a one way valve adapted to be opened by the suction created as the container returns to its original shape after deformation, and the said air inlet being located adjacent the said outlet whereby drips of lacquer from the outlet are drawn into the air inlet and back into the container by the aforesaid suction.

With this arrangement the spray device or atomiser is self cleaning and the problem of collection of lacquer drips around the spray outlet does not arise.

The spray head is preferably detachably connected to an end of an elongated cap which is screwably or otherwise removably attached to the top of the container and the air inlet and outlet are located at the top of the spray head so that the device or atomiser when empty can be easily tilled by dipping the top end of the spray head into a reservoir of hair lacquer, squeezing the container either before of after insertion in the reservoir, and releasing the container to allow it to return to its original shape, the suction created as the container returns to its original shape causing hair lacquer to be drawn into the container through both the air inlet and the outlet.

There are separate combined air and drip inlet, and combined air and liquid spray outlet; pipes communicating respectively with the air inlet and outlet and extending from the head into the container. The one way valve is preferably located at the lower end of the inlet pipe.

The one way valve may comprise a poppet valve disposed upright with the valve seat at the top, said poppet valve being bouyant in the hair lacquer and being disposed in a valve housing with the complementary seat at the top thereof, the poppet valve being preferably mushroom shaped with radial vanes extending from the stem thereof. Alternatively, the non-return valve may be a simple ball valve.

The spray head preferably has a lid which fits over the inlet and outlet and there may be an internal sealing rim or lip which engages the outer surface of the head to prevent lacquer from leaking out of the head in the event that the device or atomiser is inverted.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

' FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of spray device or atom iser according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the spray head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the container cap shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the spray device of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the spray head of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a cover for the spray head.

The spray device comprises a resiliently deformable container 1 formed from hair lacquer resistant material having an opening 2 at its upper end provided with an internal screw thread. A cap 3 is screwed into the opening 2 of the container 1, which cap 3 comprises a tubular stem 4 provided with an external screw thread at one end 5 which engages the screw thread of the container land a coaxially disposed conical part, or skirt, 6 formed integrally with the stem 4 and shaped to merge smoothly with the container 1.

The stem 4 is sealed at its lower end apart from two large holes 7 and a number of small holes 8 and is open at its upper end. A spray head 9 is tightly but removably located in the open end of the stem 4. The spray head 9 is a solid cylindrical member having a sloping upper end face 10, and is provided with a circumferential lip 11 which abuts the end of the stem and two projections 12 beneath the lip which engage corresponding recesses in the inner surface of the upper end of the stem 4 thereby to prevent relative rotation of the spray head 9 and the stem 4.

The spray head has two axial through bores communicating respectively with a small spray outlet opening 13 and a larger air inlet opening 14 on the sloping face 10 of the spray head. The sloping face is stepped having a raised portion 15 at the uppermost part of the face, the air inlet opening 14 being provided in the lower part 16 of the face 10 and the spray outlet opening 13 being provided in the shoulder between the two parts 15, 16 of the face whereby the outlet opening 13 is directed generally horizontally and the inlet opening 14 is directed generally vertically. The lower periphery of the opening 13 has a sharp edge.

The lower part of the face around the inlet opening and particularly between the inlet opening and the outlet opening is recessed at 17 and two arcuate ridges 1% are formed on the face extending respectively from the sides of the raised portion 15 to the recess 17 (FIG. 2).

Two plastic tubes 19, 20 are pushed through the two large holes 7 in the lower end of the stem 4 and tightly but removably fit into the two axial bores in the spray head. One tube 19 connected to the outlet opening 13 is a dip tube, free of valves, which terminates at a spaced distance above the bottom of the container. The axial bore in which this tube 19 fits has an extension at each of two sides of the tube so as to leave a narrow air channel around the tube 19 between the outlet 13 and the interior of the stem 4. The other tube 20 connected to the inlet opening 14 is a combined air and drip tube, separate from, and independent of tube 19, which at the central portion of the container. Tube 20 has at its end a ball valve comprising a sleeve 21 one end of which tightly but removably engages the tube 20 and the other end of which is enlarged to define a valve chamber containing a ball 22. The periphery 23 of the upper opening of the valve chamber defines a valve seat for the ball and the lower opening of the chamber has inwardly directed projections 24 which retain the ball whilst preventing the ball from closing the opening and which are sharpened so as to give minimal areas of contact with the ball thereby to minimize sticking of the ball due to collection of lacquer between the ball and the projections.

In use, the container is filled with hair lacquer, either through the opening thereof after removing the cap 3 or by squeezing the container to expel air therefrom through the outlet opening 13, inserting the spray head 9 under the surface of hair lacquer in a reservoir thereof and allowing the container to regain its shape whereby lacquer is sucked through the inlet and outlet openings 13, 14 into the container. If desired a filter may be disposed within the sleeve 21 for filtering lacquer when the container is filled without removing the cap.

When the container is filled, squeezing of the container causes lacquer to be forced along the tube 19 and air to be forced through holes 8, along the stem 4 and through the air channel 19a whereby air and lacquer mixes at the opening 13 and a spray of atomized lacquer is expelled from the outlet opening 13, the ball 22 being forced upwardly against the valve seat 23 thereby to seal the air inlet. When the container is released, the spray stops and the container readily regains its shape due to rapid ingress of air through the air inlet, the ball falling away from the valve seat to allow such ingress.

Drips of lacquer from the outlet opening 13 immediately after spraying run down into the air inlet opening 14 and are drawn back into the container by suction as the container regains its shape. It will be appreciated that the recess 17 and the ridges l8 facilitate flow of lacquer into the inlet opening.

A cover, or lid, 25' is provided for fitting over the spray head 9 when the device is not in use, which cover fits tightly in position and has an axially extending rod 26 and a ridge 27 formed therein which bear respectively against the inlet and outlet openings, whereby leakage of lacquer, should the device be inverted, is

prevented. The small size of the holes 8 and the length of the stem also act to limit leakage of lacquer on inversion, in that on inversion lacquer cannot flow quickly through the holes and along the stem and therefore after accidental inversion there can be sufficient time for the container to be re-positioned before leakage through the spray head has occurred.

It will be appreciated that the embodiment described above has the advantages that there is little tendency for lacquer to collect on the spray head, due to the action of the sharp lower edge of the opening 13, the sloping face of the spray head, the ridges 18, the recess 17 and the juxtaposition of the inlet and outlet openings; that reliable operation is facilitated since there is little tendency for lacquer to clog the spray head or to cause the ball valve to stick; and that most conveniently, the container can be re-filled without removing the cap.

What is claimed is:

l. A squeeze bottle spray device of the type having a resilientl deformable container a s ra roducm head affixed thereto, a combined air nd liguid spra? outlet in said head and a dip tube connecting said spray outlet to the liquid in said container, said device characterized by:

said spray head having a combined air and drip inlet below, and in the path of drippings from said outlet, but separate from and independent of said outlet;

a combined air and drip tube having one end connected to said inlet and having its other end extending down into the central portion of said container;

and a one way valve in the said other end of said 

1. A squeeze bottle spray device of the type having a resiliently deformable container, a spray producing head affixed thereto, a combined air and liquid spray outlet in said head and a dip tube connecting said spray outlet to the liquid in said container, said device characterized by: said spray head having a combined air and drip inlet below, and in the path of drippings from said outlet, but separate from and independent of said outlet; a combined air and drip tube having one end connected to said inlet and having its other end extending down into the central portion of said container; and a one way valve in the said other end of said combined air and drip tube, said valve including a valve member movable toward or away from a valve seat under the influence of pressure or suction created when said container is squeeze deformed or released, said valve member of said one way valve being buoyant and maintained in normally closed position against said valve seat by flotation forces, wherEby drips from said outlet are suction drawn into said inlet and down said combined air and drip tube by said suction. 